All language subtitles for B.W.S06E06.Living.Ball.of.Spikes.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

Look
at that arachnid.

Australia is famously known for
its iconic mix of unique animal

species, many of
which cannot be found

anywhere else in the world.

Some of them, like the kangaroo,
are incredibly plentiful,

and it's not
uncommon in the least

to see them quickly
hopping across the Outback.

When it comes to
recognizable reptiles,

when you think
Australia, you definitely

think about crocodiles.

However, to my surprise,
they were actually

rarer than you may think.

As both the freshwater
and saltwater

varieties inhabit mainly
the northern territory.

But what about the animals
that aren't considered icons,

the ones who are seldom seen
due to their elusive nature,

and who, in many cases,
are also considered

to be nature's oddities?

Today, we are back at
the Billabong Sanctuary,

located in Nome, a small
town just south of Townsville

in North Queensland.

Proudly listed as one of
Australia's top ecotourism

attractions, this
family-owned-and-operated

establishment is home to
over 50 native species,

including what I consider to
be the continent's undisputed

champion when it comes to
the title of most bizarre.

So if you are ready,
let's see if we can

get up close with the echidna.

All right, come on, guys.

Now, the keepers have left
the door slightly ajar.

Let's go inside be extra quiet
and see if we can find it.

Oh, it's right here!

Come in, come in, come in.

You have to be
careful where you step

when you're in this enclosure
because look at that.

Almost like a
biological landmine.

You may think that this
is some sort of cacti,

but that is in fact an echidna.

That's an animal?

That's an animal.

And it is buried
down in the dirt.

If you guys want to see
it, I've got to dig it up.

And that's about it.

Kind of looks like
a sea urchin, right?

That's it?
- That's it!

So it's
just a ball of spikes?

A ball of spikes.

It looks like porcupine quills.

And it's not something you
want to come in and sit

down and have a picnic on.

So I'm just going to sit
right here next to it.

Oh!

Now it's really
starting to move.

Hey, buddy!

How you doing in there?

Now actually, it's a
lot bigger than that.

It is buried down in the dirt.

And what we're
seeing right here is

an incredible defensive pose.

This creature is
incredibly speedy

when it comes to digging.

And all it needs to
do is sense something

dangerous in its
environment, like a dingo,

and they will immediately
use their claws

and their powerful
legs to dig down

into a little burrow
like that and erect

these spines up in the air.

And it's very tough to eat
something that is covered

in spines like that, but--

Will those come
off into your fingers?

No.

Its quills do not
release from its body

like that of a porcupine.

In fact, they're not related
to porcupines at all.

And I know you guys really
want to see this creature.

And to do that, I'm going
to have to dig it up.

And no gloves.

I'm going to try to do
this without gloves,

without getting spiked.

Now, these spikes
are non-venomous,

but if I'm spiked by them, it is
going to cause some irritation

and it's going to be very itchy.
Are they sharp?

They're razor sharp.

Here, bring your hand
in here and just kind

of prop down on top there.

It's like a pin cushion, right?

Ah!
- Yeah.

Ooh, and every time
you touch it, it moves.

And even that, imagine
if you were a dingo

and you come into the
environment to sniff this,

even that little
movement can give you

a good poke right in the nose.

Yeah, you could
feel they kind of lay down

and when it budges, they
get, like, really stiff.

Yeah, they can
lay flat and then

they can also be erect
like that to protect

the creature when it's buried
down underneath soft soil.

You sure
you want to do this?

Well, yeah.

You guys want to see
it up close, right?

Sure.

I want to see it, but
only if you're willing.

Oh, yeah.

Well, let me see.

My tactic here is going to be
to try to get to its underside.

Now, their bellies are much
softer than the top side.

So if I can get my hands
sort of underneath it,

I can pull it out.

And what it's going to do
is curl up into a ball.

Here we go.

Oh!

I got it, I got it.

Oh, here comes the face.

Is that its head right there?

Nope!

That's the rump end.

Oh, wow.

He's incredibly
relatively strong.

Here we go.

I got you, I got you.

Got it!

There it is!

That's an echidna right there.

Oh, oh, oh!
Super spiky.

Can you see its
face on that side?

Yeah.

There's a little
face right there!

I'm gonna sit down here.

I'm going to plop it on my lap.

This is a dangerous
little maneuver.

But I want to hold it like this.

Wow.

Look at the spikes sticking out.

It looks just like a sea urchin.

Hold on.

I got to get it by the belly.

Ow, ow, ow, ow!

Actually,
you know what, Coyote?

Yeah?

You know what
that animal reminds me of?

What's that?

That video
game we used to play.

My favorite video game?
Yeah.

"Sonic the Hedgehog."

And actually, what's really
cool about the echidna

is that the echidna
was a character

in the "Sonic" series.

If you guys remember
Knuckles, the red one,

he had those boxing gloves.

He was actually an echidna
based off of this animal.

And look at that
cute little face.

You see that elongated nose?

That is specialized
for catching insects.

Now, they're
insectivores, which means

they primarily feed on bugs.

And they specialize in
eating ants and termites.

And similar to an anteater,
they don't have teeth.

But they have a
long sticky tongue.

They use that tongue
to kind of feel around

inside of old rotting
logs underneath rocks

and around in termite
and ant nests.

And what they will do
is just kind of suck

those creatures up
into their mouths

and grind them up against
the roof of their mouth

and then they have a meal.

Hi, bud!

Oh, you're so cute and dirty.

Look at that little foot.

Look at those paw pads.

And they feel just like latex.

And look at that
big claw up front.

It's like a shovel.

It's interesting how
the front legs look

very similar to the back legs.

Because these are the
little back legs here.

See how stout they are?

Little chubby feet.

Yeah, and the
little pads feel like latex.

And the front feet,
you actually can't

see the front feet really
well, but they kind of

look like the foot of a mole.

It's interesting.

This animal is like
the combination

of so many different creatures.

And I find that that
seems to be the case

with many of the animals
here in Australia.

They're like this weird mix of
all these different creatures

that we're used to seeing
in the United States.

What does
the echidna smell like?

Oh, I'm not sure
I want to get my--

ooh, musky.

A little musky.

I don't know if they
secrete any sort of musk

or if that's just from
the dirt that it's

been burying around in.

Do they
shed their quills?

Yes, they can shed

their quills just like hair.

And they do actually have hair.

Little coarse bristle hairs in
between all of these spines.

And their skin is
incredibly leathery.

Now, other than the
platypus, this is

the only mammal that lays eggs.

And the female will actually
carry the egg inside of her

for several months.

And then when she
lays it, it takes

about 10 days for it to hatch.

So bizarre, a mammal
that lays eggs.

And how many
eggs do they lay at once?

Just a single egg.

That's it.

One egg is all this
animal will lay.

Let me see if I kind of
set it down for a second

if it'll start to walk.

Here we go.
Watch this.

You guys want to see
it dig into the ground?

Sure.

Watch how fast it's
able to burrow down.

Watch this.

Any sort of disturbance in
the environment, look at that,

they actually push the
dirt out to the sides.

And those stout little legs and
claws allow them to do that.

So they don't
necessarily dig down

forward to protect themselves.

They dig straight down so
that then they can create

that pin cushion defense pose.

And they have incredible
camouflage too.

I mean, any sort of
environment that's

made of sticks and
leaves and dirt,

and this thing is going
to blend in perfectly.

Oh, look at that.

It's already buried back down.

All right, let me see if I
can get him back up here.

I'm surprised you
put it back down after it

took you so long to dig it up.

Yeah, I didn't really
think about that.

OK, they're so-- like, this is
me trying to lift the echidna

out from under the ground.

And it is locked in place.

Now, you can imagine if it
nestled itself up against a log

or in between some
rocks, it would

be absolutely impossible for
a predator to dislodge it.

All right, let's see if
we can bring the echidna

back up from under the dirt.

Come here, buddy.

Oh, it is so strong.

Dangerous
game of Operation there.

Whoa!

There's his face!

Get that dirt off.

There's a little nose!

Hi, bud.

Whoa.

Pretty cool, huh?

That's really cool.

You want to pet it's back?

I kind of
want to try to hold it.

You want to try to hold it?

You think it's OK?

Uh, yeah.

You just got to get it
from underneath here.

Here, go ahead and set down
your camera real quick.

All right.

Just be really, really gentle.

I was told if I
keep my hands flat.

Yeah.

Actually, if you
put your hands flat,

I can kind of lay it on
you like that and then

kind of feel for the belly.

There you go, there
you go, there you go.

- It's got me.
- Got it?

It's spiky, right?

Oh, it's super spiky.

I got you.

I got you, buddy.
Hi.

- Pretty cool, huh?
- Hi.

That's pretty cool.

Now, what most people
probably don't know

is that Knuckles was
your favorite "Sonic

the Hedgehog" character, right?

He was.

The underside is really
soft and fur coated.

Yeah.

You would never think
that by looking at the top.

Well, you can have a really
soft underbelly, I guess,

if you have back hair
and spines like this guy.

Ah, it's got me.

on my knee.

He's got me.
Hold on.

Got it?

Yeah, I got him.

- They have a strong grip.
- Yeah, they really do.

Quite the handshake.

Those little stubby feet
really can grab on to you.

- It's really warmed up.
- Yeah.

At this point, I feel like we're
pretty comfortable together.

I'm not getting spined too bad.

We're just hanging out.

You know, I found
out what that echidna's name is.

You want to know?

- Yeah, what's his name?
- Spike.

Spike.

That's a good original name
for an echidna like this.

Well, this was pretty cool.

Getting up close with one
of the only monotremes

that's here in
Australia, the echidna.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

All right, let's set him
back down into the dirt,

and he's going to disappear.

You ready?

And here he goes.

Oh, [inaudible]!

Echidnas truly rank as
being one of the planet's

most uniquely bizarre animals.

And while their spike-covered
bodies may give them

an outwardly aggressive
looking appearance,

these ambling little monotremes
are as kindhearted as it gets.

If you ever encounter one
of these egg-laying mammals

in the wild, do not
attempt to pick it up.

Trust me when I say you
will regret those spines.

However, if you simply admire
it from a respectful distance,

I promise that an
encounter with an echidna

is something you
will never forget.

Upon arriving in
Australia, I had my sights

set on getting up close with
some of the country's most

iconic mammalian inhabitants.

However, approaching
mammals in the wild

is incredibly difficult,
as most species are very

weary of human interaction, so
encounters tend to be nothing

more than a fleeting glimpse.

The best solution for getting
an up close and personal

interaction is to work
at a wildlife park

where native animals are
being rehabilitated or raised

under the care of humans.

So we reached out to
the Billabong Sanctuary,

an establishment that has
been providing the public

with a hands-on approach to
learning about native species

for over 35 years.

Located just outside
of Townsville,

they're considered
one of Queensland's

premiere ecotourism attractions.

And their grounds are home
to various Australian icons,

including kangaroos, wombats,
dingoes, and, of course,

the one and only koala.

So if you're in the
mood for an extreme dose

of cute and cuddly, then this is
definitely the episode for you.

Coyote,
what do you have there?

Well, it's about 8
o'clock in the morning,

and it is breakfast time.

And today, I'm having
breakfast with a koala.

So I'm bring this eucalyptus
into its enclosure

and see if we can get it to eat.

You guys ready?
Let's do it.

Here we go.

Now, you
can't eat this, can you?

No, it's toxic for me,
but it is perfect for Banjo.

Hi, buddy!
How are you?

Who's Banjo?

This is Banjo the koala.

He's a big koala too.

All right, let's do this.

You see this?

We've got a couple
of water troughs

right here and on this side.

And what I'm going
to do is place

these branches of eucalyptus
inside these little water

troughs.

Smells just like a cough drop.

All right, looks like he's
interested in these leaves.

Mark, why don't you
come around this side?

Let me see.

Koalas are very
specialized because they

only eat eucalyptus leaves.

And there are hundreds of
species of eucalyptus trees.

And they're very selective about
the leaves that they will eat.

Only a few varieties actually
interest these animals.

There's breakfast.

It's right there.

Look, here's the good ones.

And they really
only eat the tips.

Let's see.

Oh, you're sitting
in the leaves.

You're sitting on
your breakfast, Banjo.

Have a scratch.
Koala scratch.

There you go.

All right, I'm going to
take off my pack here.

OK, here we go.

Oh.

It's starting to snack.

Oh, it's the good stuff.

Look at that.

Wow.

Pretty good, huh?

How much eucalyptus
can this koala eat, Coyote?

A lot.

Now, they're primarily
nocturnal, so during the day,

they spend a lot of their
time sleeping up in the trees.

But as soon as it gets
cool and dark out,

they start to get active.

Now, early in the
morning like this,

they will also eat and spend the
majority of their day sleeping,

up to 18 hours a day sleeping.

And the rest of
the time, they're

pretty much just feasting.

And they can eat
about a kilogram

of leaves every single day.

And they like these
younger tips of the leaves.

You see these?

The softer, juicier leaves.

And they absorb most of
their moisture from the food

that they eat.

So it's their
food and their water.

Food and water
at the same time.

I mean, they're an
arboreal species,

so primarily they're
staying up in the treetops.

So they get down
on the ground, they

stand the chance of running
into potential predators

like dingoes.

Now, up in the trees, you maybe
thinking to yourselves, well,

what could get up in a tree
and eat something like a koala?

Obviously, a bird of prey like
an eagle or a very large hawk,

but for the most part.

They stay pretty tucked
down when they're sleeping,

say camouflaged up against
the trunk of a tree,

they're going to be just fine.

Oh, can you see that?

Look, you can kind of see
those front teeth there.

Similar to the
teeth of a wombat.

Very rodent looking.

Now, they are
related to wombats.

As we know, they are marsupials.

Now, most marsupials
have pouches.

However, Banjo is a male.

The males do not have pouches.

But the females, when they have
a baby, it's called a Joey.

And the Joey is
tiny, only the size

of a jelly bean when it's born.

It has no fur, no ears,
and it's completely blind.

Now, it will stay in
the mother's pouch

for around five to six months.

Once it develops enough, then
it will crawl out from the pouch

and just hang on to the mother's
back and sort of stick with it

until it's big enough
to head out on its own.

All right, Mark, check this out.

This is really cool.

Go ahead and zoom in right
through these leaves.

Do you see that yellowish
mark right there in the center

of that cream-colored chest?

Is that dirt?

No, that is actually
the koala's scent gland.

It secretes a very strong musk.

And, Banjo, I'm just going
to touch your little scent

gland there, if you don't mind.

Let me see.

Oh!

That is a very strong smell.

I read that koalas
smell somewhere

between a real strong
musk and eucalyptus.

So what I did want to do is
I want to smell the koala.

Let me see here.

Oh!

Yeah, very strong smell.

I would say somewhere between
a muddy, grimy, wet dog

and a really old cough drop.

And, here, smell the
tip of my finger.

[retches] Ugh!

Yeah, that is
some strong musk.

But to a female koala,
that must smell excellent.

Well, it looks like Banjo
has had a fair share

of eucalyptus leaves.

I think you guys all want me
to get a more up close look,

right?

You're
going to hold a koala?

I'm going to hold a koala.
Here we go.

All right.

Now, what I need to do--

hey, Banjo.
Let's see.

So I'm going to
get in real close,

and he's going to just kind
of put his hand up there.

I want to support his backside.

Just go like that.

There we go, buddy.

Hop on down.

Whoa!

There we go.

Just like cradling a
baby, only much softer.

Koala.

Hi, Banjo.

That's what we call the
koala cuddle right there.

Wow.

So dense!

Oh my gosh, the
fur is incredible.

You don't really
realize it until it's

actually on you, but--
Oh, wow.

It's almost like a lamb.
- I know, right?

Like a lamb's wool.

Koala's wool.

Very, very dense.

And a lot of animals
you think about having

these coarse outer
guard hairs, and he's

just dense and brillowy
all throughout.

Oh my gosh, you
are just so cute.

I'm trying to talk rather
quiet next to his ears.

Look at the ears.

It kind of reminds me
of Gizmo from "Gremlins"

with those big ears.

And they do have
excellent hearing.

Look how they can
kind of individually

move each one of those ears too.

Oh my gosh, you are so cute.

Very calm.

I think it's really
neat how they

have those vertical pupils too.

Go ahead and zoom in
on the eyes there.

So calm.

So kind.

It's a koala hug.

Oh.

I can-- oh, I can
smell his scent gland.

And it's kind of pressed
up against my chest

there, so I think I'm probably
going to smell like a koala

for the rest of the
day, which would

attract in some female koalas.

But when it comes to everybody
else being around me,

sorry, guys.

I may have to ride in the back
of the truck on the way home.

Ugh.

Oh my gosh, look
at that big nose.

He looks
like he's going to sleep.

Well, he did have that big
breakfast of eucalyptus leaves.

Is it almost nap time?

What do you think?

Let's turn you like this.

Can you see how his claws are
just hooked on to my shoulder

there?

Oh yeah.

Those are some
serious claws, right?

Can you
feel those claws?

Yeah, I can feel
him holding on to me.

I mean, they aren't like
piercing through my shirt

or anything like that.

But I am just trying
to make calm movements.

I don't want to startle
him in any way whatsoever.

He seems just very
content to hang out on me.

That's good.

Wow.

All right, well, I think Banjo
is pretty comfortable with me

at this point, so let's Crouch
down and get into a slightly

more comfortable position.

There we go.

Oh, what a big cuddler.

I think we can all agree
that the koala is arguably

the most adorable
animal that we've

seen so far here in Australia.

But a lot of times,
people often think

that these are bears because
of the term "koala bear."

But the koala bear in fact is
not related to bears at all.

And as we know, it is a
marsupial, which means,

of course, that
they have a pouch.

Now, notice how quiet
Banjo is, right?

And you're thinking
to yourself, well,

koala is like the most
stealthy, silent creature

you've ever held on to, Coyote.

But believe it or
not, koalas are

capable of making some
incredible sounds, especially

the males.

They can do this
large guttural bellow.

This sort of--

It sounds kind of
like a howler monkey,

if I were to compare
it to something.

And that's sort of a
territorial dominance thing.

It also can draw in the
females, basically saying,

I am the king of
this eucalyptus tree.

Has Banjo gone to sleep?

No, he's still awake.

Oh, on this side, I mean,
he's got one eye closed.

He's taking a little
koala cat nap.

Banjo wasn't very
impressed by your koala call.

No, I guess my bellow
wasn't quite enough.

Turn you this way.

Here you go.

You guys want to know a fact
that's pretty interesting

but also kind of gross?

I have a feeling
you're going to tell us anyway.

I am going to tell you.

I don't know if you guys
want to hear this one,

but we know that adult
koalas eat eucalyptus leaves.

And the microorganisms
in their digestive track

help break down those
leaves and allow

them to deal with the toxins.

However, the babies are not
capable of eating leaves yet,

so what they have to do is
eat their mother's poop.

Oh!
Why is that?

And the reason they do that
is that the bacteria that's

transferred from the poop
into the babies helps

coat the inside of
their digestive tracts

so they are then capable
of eating those leaves

and breaking them down.

How would you like
that, to start out

by eating your mom's
poop before you actually

got a full nourishing meal?

Pretty gross, right?

Oh!

All right, guys,
I don't think you

can visit Australia without
getting the chance to see

one of these iconic animals.

And getting the chance to hold
one is absolutely amazing.

Now, I feel bad because
I've been snuggling

Banjo this entire time.

You guys have been
behind the cameras, kind

of saying to yourselves, oh
my gosh, it's so adorable,

but you'd like to hold a koala.

I want
to hold a koala.

Mario?
- Absolutely.

You want to hold?

All right, Mario, how
about you go first here?

OK.

I'm just going to
transfer him [inaudible]...

Whoa!

Now you're going to
smell like a koala.

Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh, I do.

I smell like a koala.

All right, I'm going to get
out this camera so I can

get some shots of this here.
- Wow.

Mario,
you're doing it!

What do you think?

So my first thought
is it's solid.

And it kind of feels like
I'm holding a baby, you know.

You kind of just have to be,
like, very gentle and slow

with your movements.

Oh!

Oh.

Watch your face.

He's got some sharp claws.

Maybe he likes your hat.

Yeah, he's
like, give me that hat.

OK, here we go.

Oh, oh.

There you go, buddy.

Whoa!

Heavier
than you think, right?

Oh my goodness.

Hi!

Hi.

How are you?

When I was a kid--

I'm sure you did too-- we ate
those treats, Koala Yummies.

You remember those?

Oh yeah,
I remember Koala Yummies.

And I remember when I was a
kid thinking, like, I wonder

if I'll ever get to actually
hold a real koala bear,

and this is that moment.

I smell like Cheez-Its, you
know, like the cheddar snacks.

Really?

I think maybe it's his
musk gland or something.

Yeah.

It's kind of a cheesy pungent
smell, but totally worth it.

Totally worth it to get
to hold a koala bear.

You can definitely
feel those claws, guys.

Oh, that's what it was.

That was the Cheez-It smell.

You were the musk gland.

The musk gland.

Oh.

Well, I
don't think anyone would argue

with me if I said that the
koala was unquestionably

the most adorable animal that
we have seen here in Australia.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

All right, let's get Banjo
back up into his roost.

The marsupials of Australia
are some of the most

unique creatures on our planet.

And getting the chance to work
alongside several of them,

including Blossom the brushtail
possum, Wanda the wombat,

and Banjo the koala, really
opened my eyes as to how

diverse our planet truly is.

If you ever have the chance
to visit Australia and happen

to find yourself
near Townsville,

definitely take a day to visit
the Billabong Sanctuary, where

you can see all the
fantastic residents

that we feature on the
"Brave Wilderness" channel.